Sonny With a Chance of Falling
by xoredsoxnation21xo
Summary: In Which Sonny, Chad, and the rest of the actors must take Trust Lessons. Better watch your back, Monroe, or you just might end up on the ground.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So while I was attempting to think of some SWAC angsty-ish pieces, I came up with this idea. Far from angst. Prob end up as a 3 shot or 4 shot, at most will prob have 5 or 6 chapters. But who knows. SonnyxChad, takes place right before the knew SWAC episode (the one with Selena Gomez--absolutely amazing ep btw, like the funniest one yet!) Anyway, doesn't have a specific time but it's just supposed to be when they still "hate" (coughcoughsecretlyinlove) each other. And FYI, the falling in the title refers to like legit falling. Like falling down the stairs. Not like falling. In Love. With someone named Chad. But that might happen too...**

**anyways, enough talking.**

**disclaimer: i don't own sonny with a chance, or any of the characters, etc. etc.**

Sonny With A Chance of Falling

Marshall started strutting around the room, nervously patting his forehead with a sweaty napkin. "I have some exciting news!" He blurted out. Despite his uplifting word choice, his tone suggested otherwise.

"Can we just get one with it?" asked Tawni, who sat in the corner of the props room, getting her nails manicured by a short asian women. "My pedicure is scheduled for 4:14, and it can't be moved into this room."

"Well," Marshall started, turning his backs to us before spitting out what he had been trying to say. "Thestudiohasdecidedtosendalloftheactorsandactressesintotrustlessonstopromoteuntiy. Ok, see you guys later."

"Not so fast!" Zora shouted from her air vent, stopping him as he tried to flee. "I refuse to participate in said 'trust lessons.'"

"Look, guys," he sighed, turning around. "It was orders from the president of the company. It's not my decision."

"But it doesn't affect us!" shouted Tawni after a minute. "We aren't actors, we are comedians…"

Marshall quickly stopped the high five between Grady and Nico. "Not according to the boss. Your first lesson is next week, in the yoga room."

We all sat in silence for a movement, taking in the news. Trust lessons? What's that supposed to mean?

"Well, it can't be that bad, right?" I quietly suggested. "I mean, maybe it'll even be fun!" I tried to look on the bright side, but glares from all of my cast mates quickly stopped my growing smile.

"That's the attitude, Sonny!" Marshall agreed. "And in that case, you can be partners with Chad."

What?!

* * *

I jumped off of the stool I was sitting on and ran after Marshall, stopping him a few feet from the entrance to the prop room.

"Wha--Whe--Why do I have to be partners with Chad?!" I finally managed to spit out.

"Mackenzie Falls and So Random! B both has odd numbers. Since you were so optimistic, I figured you would be the most accepting of the partnering," he tried to explain.

"Uh huh," I agreed sarcastically, able to see through his lies.

"Fine! He might has specifically requested to be partnered up with you…but don't kill the messenger, Sonny!" He quickly added as he saw my face harden in disgust.

* * *

I furiously pounded on the door of Chad's dressing room, eyes full of rage.

"Chad Dylan Cooper," he stated as he opened the door, smiling smugly until he noticed who was standing in front of him.

"Sonny? Seriously? You that jealous that I won the best hair award over you?" He smirked.

"What the hell, Chad?!" I shouted before I even comprehended what he had said. "Wait, hair award? Oh, I'm so jealous, Chad, especially of all those weekly root conditioning sessions of yours," I joked to the empty air besides me.

"But that's besides the point!" I yelled as I remembered why I was here. Chad stood their in shock over my bipolar behavior. "Why would you ask to be my partner in trust lessons?!"

"Oh, that!" He remembered, smiling. He quickly stepped out of his room, running down and knocking on the dressing room next door as I followed him. Our roles had completely switched; now I had no clue what was happening.

"Yo, Nick, pay up!! Sonny completely blew a fuse!" He shouted.

I punched him in the gut, yelling, "It was for a bet? You filthy pig!"

After he received his money, he tried to limp back over to his dressing room. "Not completely," he admitted as he stumbled inside.

"Then what?" I asked, anxious for any information to get out of working with him.

"Sonny," he sighed, looking into my eyes. "It's trust lessons. Just imagine what could happen."

"What do you mean?" I ask, puzzled by his enigmatic answer.

"Why don't you run along and go figure it out?" he shouted, pushing me out of his room.

"Fine!" I agreed.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

So not fine.

* * *

**sorry it's so short :( go review, faster chapters will result. also, question: what do you think some trust excersizes should be?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Happy 4th of July! And, of couse, congrats Kevin (: This chapter is for maggie bc i promised her i would finish something. Trying out a new format, tell me if you like it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

Chapter 2

April 10

Starbucks Coffee

9:38 AM

I stared at the perky, smiling barista, resentment boring into her eyes.

"I…I guess I heard wrong," she stuttered, quickly trying to get out of the situation.

"Yeah, you did," I spat back, bitter that she had even brought him up.

Tawni and I walked over to the bar, waiting for our Frappuccinos to arrive. As soon as I gave her my name, the barista proceeded to ask if I was Sonny from So Random. Then she asked if it was true that Chad and I were sleeping together.

"Looks like the coffees not the only thing steaming here," Tawni joked to me, the only one laughing. After I gave her the death stare, she promptly shut up.

"Look, it's not that big of a deal, Sonny. People always recognize you when you're famous," she lectured me. "Especially when you look as good as I do in this," she added with a hair flip, and I remembered why I tried to limit my time alone with her.

"Yeah, ok, Tawni," I grunted. "People don't go up to you and ask if you're sleeping with Cooper, now do they?"

"Whatever, Sonny. You just have to accept it as part of the business," she sighed. "Someone with your anger issues isn't gonna make it very far."

"Anger issues?" I repeated in shock. "I do not have anger issues!"

"Definitely not. And I'm the one whose secretly in love with Chad. Oh, wait, that's you!" She argued back.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "I'm not in love with Chad!"

"If that's what need to tell yourself," she hummed.

She grabbed her Frappuccino and started walking out the exit. I slid into her car beside her, and we left to return to the studios and start the hell that was formally referred to as "Trust lessons."

* * *

April 10

Yoga Studio

10:21 AM

I sat in the back of the room, silently sulking and willing the moments until the instructor arrived to slow down.

My resolve was unsuccessful, though, as he walked through the door. As I looked him up and down, though, I thanked God for not answering my plea. He was gorgeous.

"Hello, everybody, I'm Greg," he said in his low voice. I could practically hear every girl in the room swoon; even Zora, at 11, was drooling. "I'll be your instructor for the next few weeks. If everyone could grab their mat, and get with their previously assigned partners."

We floated up, towards the mat in the center of the room. I accidentally bumped into Tawni, too fixated on Greg's beauty, but for once she didn't mind.

"He's cute!" She exclaimed as we waited to get our mats, and I nodded in agreement. "I wonder how old he is…"

"Don't get your hopes up," I sighed in sorrow as I saw him lean over to kiss some blonde girl in yoga pants that had just walked in. Now it was the guy's turn to drool.

* * *

April 10

Yoga Studio

10: 30 AM

Snapped back to reality, I walked over to where Chad was already sitting on his mat, texting someone.

"Chad," I spat out as I laid down my mat.

"Sonny," he returned, putting away the phone.

"Chad."

"Sonny."

"Chad."

Our faces inched closer together as the name fight continued on, glares hardening and all energy focused on each other.

"Whoa, whoa, guys, break it up," said a male voice, and I turned around to see Greg and the mystery blonde standing right above it. "I sense bad energy between you two. These trust lessons will help you two heal your broken relationship," he preached.

I looked skeptically at him, and both Chad and I rolled our eyes. He muttered "Whatever," under his breath as Greg walked away, shaking his head at us.

"Now everyone, it is time to start the lesson. This is my assistant, Amanda. We will be demonstrating the exercises then helping everyone recognize the full potential of each exercise," he started, proceeding to explain to us the "falling mechanism" we all learned in first grade for the next 20 minutes.

After he determined that we were properly trained in the trust lean, we were allowed to get up and try it ourselves. Chad jumped up first, shouting "I'm not falling."

"Um, excuse me?" I asked.

"I said, I'm not gonna be the one who has to fall. I'll be the catcher," he answered smugly.

"No," I refused. "How do I know that you are even gonna catch me?"

"Sonny," he said, looking at me like I was 5. "We are at trust lessons. The entire point is to build trust. Don't you think that would be destroying trust, if I were to drop you, not building it?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," I rebuffed.

"Sonny, I promise I won't do anything to hurt you," he said sincerely, and for some reason I believed him.

"Fine," I agreed, and we got into the proper position as Greg had demonstrated.

I rigidly stood there for a minute, too scared to fall. Scanning the room, I saw partners falling into each others arms all over the room. I decided that I was being stupid, and I started to fall.

* * *

April 10

Yoga Studio Floor

10:41 AM

"What. The. Hell Chad?!" I screamed as soon as I felt the wood floor below me.

"Oops," he snickered. "Guess I wasn't ready after all."

I stood up, glaring at him with every ounce of hate I could muster. I knew trusting him was a mistake.

"Whoa, guys, what happened?" Greg said as he ran over after hearing our argument.

"He dropped me!" I complained, pointing to Chad. I tried to stay mad, but having Greg in such close proximity made it hard.

"Chad, the point of trust lessons is to build trust within your partnership, not to build hate," Greg lectured. Chad had crossed his arms over his chest, and was now glaring at him with unusual resentment, too much for simply being yelled at.

* * *

April 11

So Random! Conference Room

8:56 AM

We sat in the conference room, waiting for Marshall to finally show up. The room was completely silent, with the exception of Zora spinning around in her chair.

"So…" started Tawni.

She exchanged looks with Nico and Grady before Nico finally blurted out, "Man! Sonny, what happened?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, having no idea what he was talking about.

"Yesterday," Grady answered. "You almost bit Chad's head off!"

"Not that we are complaining," Nico quickly added.

I sighed. "Guys, it was nothing. Chad just dropped me on purpose during that stupid trust exercise thing."

"No kidding," Tawni rebutted. "Didn't mean you had to kill the guy."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I wasn't that mean! Besides, why are you defending him? He's Chad."

Tawni rolled her chair over towards mine. Leaning towards my ear, she whispered, "Humiliating people generally doesn't make them attracted to you."

* * *

April 11

So Random! Conference Room

9:16 AM

I was still fuming from their joke when Marshall arrived 20 minutes later. We were supposed to discuss ideas for upcoming skits, and my cast mates simply couldn't leave their joke alone.

"You know, Marshall," Tawni started. "I was eating dinner last night when an idea just popped into my head for the next skit! I think you'll really like it."

She smiled evilly, locking eyes with Nico and Grady before going on. "It's actually based on real life events. Like a parody."

I groaned inaudibly as Marshall encouraged her to go on.

"Well, it starts off with a face off between two characters who hate each other. And then they are assigned to be partners in these lessons!" She describing, clapping her hands together and smiling ear to ear as I turned bright red.

"I think that's a great idea, Tawni!" Marshall commented.

"You know what I think would be an awesome twist?" Nico fake-asked. "The two characters should actually be in love with each other!"

"You guys are the best! We'll have to get started on this right away," said Marshall.

Yeah. The best.

* * *

April 13

So Random! Set C {Filming}

12: 39 PM

"Sarah!"

"Chuck!"

"Sarah!"

"Chuck!"

Tawni and Nico walked towards each other across the stage. Tawni had a vest and skinny jeans on, while Nico was outfit in a preppy blazer and dress pants. They glared at each other, imitating openly me and Chad.

I was going to kill them.

Zora came running up to them. "You two," she barked, pretending to be some studio official. "You will be partners in those Trust Lessons that we are starting."

They protested as extras started to fill into the background, taking our their mats and sitting on the floor. Tawni and Nico continued to glare at each other as they sat down.

Suddenly, Grady walked in to play the instructor, Greg. He started talking, but I wasn't listening; some girl had just walked up and told me Mr. Condor wanted to see me immediately.

Shit.

* * *

April 13

Hallway outside Mr. Condor's Office

12:46 PM

I ran down the hallway leading towards Mr. Condor's room. His reputation for being mean was undeniable, and I wanted to do anything to stay in his good graces.

"Chad?" I said, stopping short after seeing the blonde leaning outside his door.

"Sonny," he smirked, smiling. "You're here."

"Yeah," I answered. "Lucky me," I added under my breath.

"You are lucky actually," he rebutted, coming over to stand next to me. "I'm here."

"Chad, I'm all for looking at the glass 'half full,' but having you here can not be interpreted in any way, shape, or form as lucky," I retorted.

His mouth dropped slightly in shock before he could stop himself. "Well, that's your choice, then," he finally said. "You don't want to know why we are here, it's not my problem."

He started to walk away and I began to worry. It was Chad, and it was completely possible that he was playing me. But what if he really did know why were here?

I decided I couldn't take the chance of not knowing. "Chad," I called, walking up to him and conceding defeat. "Why are we here?"

"Beats me," he answered. My eyes narrowed at him as I hit him square in the chest, and then left to go sit across from him.

* * *

April 13

Outside Mr. Condor's Office

1:03 PM

I could feel him watching me, but I refused to look. For the past 15 minutes, Chad and I had been waiting for Mr. Condor to finally see us, him sitting on one side of the wall (staring at me) and me sitting on the other side (looking anywhere but him).

"You know, So--" Chad started to say before I cut him off.

"I was just gonna say sorry," he said after a moment. "I was an ass."

"No kidding," I replied. We sat in awkward silence for a few more minutes before he got up and came to sit next to me.

"Can I help you?" I asked after he sat down.

"I'm good," he said, apparently taking me literally. He looked around between saying, "So. How's life?"

"Life?" I repeated, not believing that Chad was actually trying to make small talk. "Life's…awesome?"

"Good," he mumbled, and more silence set in.

"So…" I started, uncomfortable in the quiet atmosphere. "How's Mackenzie Falls?"

"It's good," he answered. "This week I found out my step brother is actually a pop star in disguise. He goes by Hayden Martinez."

"I know I've asked this before, but what is your show even about?" I asked, confused.

"Well. There's me and my half brother, and we play basketball. And then my best friend. He hooked up with my girlfriend, after I hooked up with his half sister/my girlfriends' best friend. And my step brother is actually a musician. And there's some new girl on it who hosts her own web show, and sings all these weird songs with her Glee club," he explained.

I looked at him strangely for a moment. "Don't you get it?" He asked, and I shook my head no.

"It's ok," he sighed. "Truthfully, I don't either."

* * *

April 13

Outside Mr. Condor's Office

1:28 PM

"34, 35, 36..." I counted.

"9...10...11..." Chad tallied simultaneously. We had been waiting so long for Mr. Condor to finally see us that we decided to calculate the number of tiny squares on the ceiling above us. On the entire floor. Chad counted the number of hallways, while I counted the number of squares per hallway.

He walked back, coming to a halt next to me. "There are only 13 hallways."

"And there are 44 squares per hallway…" I added. "So that means there are--"

"572 squares," Chad cut me off, finishing his math before me.

"Show off," I teased, hitting him.

"Hey, not only am I beautiful, rich, and talented, but I'm a math whiz," he bragged, jokingly.

"Yeah," I agreed after I saw the tiny black square sticking out of his jacket. "You also happen to have a cell phone calculator."

"Whatever," he conceded, shaking his head. We sat against the wall in silence for a few more minutes.

"Do you think it's weird that we just spent the last 10 minutes counting the ceiling tiles?" Chad randomly asked.

"I find it weirder to be talking to you normally," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Chad smiled at me. "You know I can be a nice person when I try," he chuckled.

"I noticed," I replied. "Too bad you're too lazy to try most of the time."

He smiled, agreeing with me. "Oh, Sonny," he chuckled quietly, as if he was enjoying a private joke with himself.

Snapping out of it, he leaped up onto his feet. "Come on. We've been waiting long enough. Let's go find out what Mr. Condor wants."

I stood up, glad to finally finish waiting. Chad grabbed the door handle, and we walked into the room.

Sitting in Mr. Condor's lab was a twenty something, rail thin blonde, who was in the midst of tearing off his shirt.

* * *

**now review please. someone try and pick out all the show refernces within Chad's description of mackenzie falls (:  
**

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow. I kind of hoped that he would never die, especially not right in the middle of the Health Care Battle. RIP Ted Kennedy. And sorry I haven't updated in forever, but to make up for it, here's an extra long chapter(: review please!**

Chapter 3

April 13

1:35 PM

Mr. Condor's Office

_Chad leapt up onto his feet. "Come on. We've been waiting long enough. Let's go find out what Mr. Condor wants."_

_I stood up, glad to finally finish waiting. Chad grabbed the door handle, and we walked into the room._

_Sitting in Mr. Condor's lab was a twenty something, rail thin blonde, who was in the midst of tearing off his shirt. _

I stopped short as our brains processed the mental image that would remain forever. My mouth slightly dropping in shock, I lost all thoughts as my eyes flew back from Mr. Condor to the blonde intern.

Chad slapped my arm softly, motioning for me to snap out of my trance. "We are so, so, sorry," Chad apologized, trying to placate our boss and save our jobs. "We will continue to wait for you. Outside."

With that, he flashed his ten watt smile and grabbed my elbow. Dragging me with him, he had to stop himself from running out of the room.

I quietly shut the door, joining Chad a few feet away from the door. He was sitting on the floor with his legs up to his chest, looking as if he had just witnessed his first porno.

I couldn't help but laugh at his loss-of-innocence expression. "You gonna be ok, there, Chad?" I joked as he turned to look at me. His eyes, albeit sparkly, had lost their confidence; he reminded me of a scared little boy.

"Seriously Chad. Are you ok?" I asked again, nervous that he really was scarred.

He started to mumble incoherently. "I've never seen anything like this before."

Crouching next to him, I said softly, "Like what?" The last thing anybody needed was an even further brain-damaged Chad.

"They always said I was the best…You didn't believe them," he muttered.

"I didn't believe who? What are you talking about, Chad?" I probed him, beginning to seriously worry for his mental health.

He lowered his head. Staring straight ahead, he said clearly, "They said that I was the best actor of our generation. You made the mistake of not believing them."

He turned to smirk at me. All naivety in his eyes were gone, replaced by a smug sparkling.

Resisting the urge to slap him, I stood up. "Very funny, Chad," I spat out acidly.

"You fell for it. That's admitting that I'm a good actor," he taunted.

"Fine, Chad. You can act," I emphasized the last three word resentfully. How could I have fallen for his act?

"Fine. As long as you know it," he denounced.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Fine!"

April 13

1:42 PM

Outside Mr. Condor's office

Chad and I still weren't talking when the blonde assistant walked out of Mr. Condor's office, pointedly keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact.

"Mr. Condor will see you now," she said crisply before turning and walking in the other direction.

We stood up and quietly approached the room that we had vacated only minutes prior.

Opening the door, Chad mouthed sorry to me. I rolled my eyes, unwillingly accepting his apology. No matter how hard I try, I can never stay mad at him for long.

Mr. Condor motioned for us to sit in the two chairs in front of his chairs. I avoided his gaze, silently hoping that my job was not at risk.

"I'm sure you two are wondering why I called you up here," he finally started.

I smiled slightly in lieu of talking, scared that any words that came out of my mouth would jeopardize my future.

"I heard that you two are partners in the Trust Lessons that I assigned," he elaborated, staring each of us down.

I should have known it was the damn trust lessons.

"Do you two know what the purpose of these lessons are?" He asked, his condescending tone slightly scaring me.

Chad and I exchanged glances before he started to speak. "The purpose of the lessons, sir, are to built trust and friendship within Condor Studios."

Mr. Condor smiled. "Well put, Chad," he applauded, acknowledging Chad's superb butt-kissing. "However, it has come to my attention that you two have not been building trust and friendship, but rather encouraging animosity in your relationship."

I knew that it was my turn to speak. "Mr. Condor, we are truly sorry for not putting aside our differences during the first Trust Lesson. I assure you that we will try harder to achieve a level of trust at the next session."

"I hope so," he said gruffly, dismissing us from the meeting. We got up and reached the door before he spoke again.

"And I better not hear word of the incident you witnessed earlier, or I'll have your jobs."

April 13

1:53 PM

Hallway, Condor Studios

We walked down to the elevator in silence, still stunned by the ultimatum Mr. Condor had issued us.

"Look, Sonny, I'm sorry for starting this whole mess," Chad apologized as we climbed into the elevator.

"Maybe you shouldn't have dropped me," I returned quickly, still slightly bitter. When I saw a look of hurt flash across his eyes, though, I quickly added, "Thanks. That was…interesting back there."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I definitely could have gone without seeing him like that. Or her, for that matter."

"What, you don't think she's hot?" I joked. "Because I think Mr. Condor's pretty sexy…"

"Yeah, and Mrs. Bitterman is a Victoria's Secret Model," Chad agreed sarcastically. I could not help my self from smiling as I realized that we were actually talking, like normal people. Like friends.

But not because I liked him. Because I wanted to keep my job.

"What is it, Munroe?" Chad asked after a few moments.

"What?" I replied, puzzled.

"You just started smiling. It kind of creeped me out," he confessed.

"Oh," I chuckled. "It's just…I don't know, I was thinking how for a minute there we were acting like real friends. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "How about we continue acting like friends and go for lunch?"

"What? Lunch?" I repeated.

"Yeah. We've been waiting here for like an hour, and clearly missed lunch. Come on, there's a Burger King right around the corner?" He pleaded.

I laughed. "Chad Dylan Cooper eats Burger King?"

April 20

10:07 AM

Condor Studios Courtyard

For our second trust lessons, Greg decided that it was time for us to attempt "trust walking."

"Now, everyone, trust walking is a simple exercise that will physically allow each group of partners to expand on their relationships," Greg had explained, sounding like an infomercial for a marriage-enhancement system.

"Each group will receive a path that each partner must walk. However, one partner will be blindfolded and the other must guide each other down the path," he elaborated. "This builds trust because the blindfolded partner must rely on the other to guide them successfully to the set location."

He proceeded to hand out blindfolds to each group. Chad and I stared at ours for a few minutes, neither willing to be blindfolded, until I finally gave in.

"See, Sonny, this arrangement works better for everyone," Chad said as I picked up the blindfold and placed it over my eyes. "This way, my hair will stay perfect."

"How does that benefit me?" I countered.

"It doesn't," he answered after a few moments. He could be such an airhead sometimes.

"Sonny, Chad, I'm gland you were able to reach an agreement peaceably," Greg walked over and told us. "Now it's time for you to lead Sonny down that path, Chad," he added, pointing in one direction. All I could see was complete darkness.

Chad sighed, grabbing my hand to lead me to the start of the path. The contact felt electric, and I found myself silently begging Chad not to let go.

"Ok, Munroe. Walk straight," he directed after letting go of my hands. "Now turn left. No, your other left. Yeah. Keep walking straight. STOP!" He suddenly yelled and I stopped short.

I could hear him jogging up to me. "Watch out, you almost tripped," he warned. "Now turn 180 degrees to your right…That's good. Keep walking straight."

His footsteps echoed off of the trees, and I was able to tell he was following me. I couldn't place a small beeping noise in the background, though.

Suddenly, my foot caught a huge tree log. My body was catapulted forward, and I stuck my hands out forward, attempting to break my fall.

"Ow," I groaned after a few moments. I pulled up my blindfold to find a snickering Chad over my body, snapping photos with his camera.

"Chad!" I yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Sending pictures of your fall to perez," he laughed. "You should seriously see your expression, Sonny. Now that's funny."

I jumped up, attempting to steal the phone from him. "What's your problem, Chad? Do you want to get fired?"

"Now, Sonny, you should be glad. Any press is good press," he snickered.

"You are unbelievable!" I shouted into his face before turning and storming out.

April 20

11:15 AM

Dressing Room

"I cannot believe him!" I complained to Tawni, who had arrived at the dressing room after the conclusion of the trust lessons a few minutes ago.

"What did he do this time?" She sighed, already expecting my answer.

"He deliberately made me fall, took pictures, and then posted them all over the internet!" I screeched, still mad that I ever trusted him.

"Why are you that mad, Sonny? Any press is good press around here," she tried to comfort me, sounding exactly like Chad.

"Funny, another blonde tried selling that to me earlier." I fought back. "You just wouldn't get it, Tawni. Chad works to keep my life a living hell."

"Again, Sonny, why are you so mad? Obviously he cares about you if he put so much time into making you tick," she explained, falling on deaf ears.

"You think he cares about me? First off, he doesn't. Chad doesn't care about anyone except himself. And two, why should that make me happy?" I rebutted, wishing she could simply console my like normal.

"Why should it make you happy?" She laughed. "Sonny, you are in love with that guy! So it should make you--"

"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH CHAD!" I shouted at Tawni, cutting her off. "Sure, maybe he has a sparkly eye, and soft hair, and nice skin, but that doesn't mean I love him!" I ranted.

"Sure you don't. You just flirt with him nonstop, and check him out at every opportunity, and frequent the halls of Mackenzie falls because you hate him," she agreed sarcastically.

"Exactly!" I exclaimed before I realized what Tawni meant.

Shit. That didn't sound convincing, did it?

April 21

10:34 AM

Yoga Studio

Greg had called me in for a short meeting during our filming break today. As I climbed the stairs to the Yoga studio, I quietly fixed my hair. Despite his annoying trust lessons, Greg was still gorgeous.

"Sonny," he smiled as I knocked on the door, and I couldn't help but return the gesture.

"Come right on inside. I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the Trust Lessons," he explained. "You and Chad seem to have quite an energy between yourselves. I just don't think you two are channeling it correctly."

What?

"Energy?" I repeated, completely lost in his thought process.

"Yeah," he said, sending off a strong hippie vibe. "You two have this insane connection--I can tell--but instead of using it in a positive way, you use it against each other."

"Ok," I said doubtfully, still confused. "You think that Chad and I have this so called 'energy' but we are using it in the wrong way? How else are we supposed to use it?"

"For starters, you could be friends. I'm sure that if you tried working together, you could end up with awesome end product," he suggested, sounding like he was on crack.

"You mean like acting together?" I asked.

"That's one way, I suppose," he mused. I wish he would just cut to the chase already.

"Ok…" I said, trying to get him to elaborate further. When he didn't say anything, I blurted out, "Is their something you aren't telling me, Greg? It sounds like you are insinuating something else."

"Ah, Ms. Munroe, to be young and clueless," he sighed, looking off into the distance.

* * *

**please review!! the more reviews, the quicker updates (:**


	4. Chapter 4

April 27

10: 32 PM

Sonny's Apartment

"No, Lucy, it's not a good thing!" I shouted exasperatedly at the phone, losing my temper with my best friend.

"Sonny," she sighed on the other end, "When will you just face it? You can't keep going back and forth between I like him and I hate him!"

"Yes I can," I whined. "It works better this way."

"Maybe for you. But every night this week you've called me, attempting to decipher your relationship with Chad!" Lucy snapped.

"Not true!" I rebutted. "On Tuesday, I called to find out how your essay went."

She sighed, and I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "Sonny, think what you want to think. When you are ready to really talk, you can call me."

Soon all I could hear was dial tone, and I shut my phone. Reflecting over the previous week, maybe I had been constantly whining to her. But she was my best friend. She was supposed to help, wasn't she?

The last week, Chad and his bipolar behavior continued invading my mind. One minute he could be my best friend, and the next he was the biggest pest in my life. I dreaded trust lessons because it always seemed to bring out the worst in Chad. I turned to Lucy, looking for help, but apparently I "didn't really want to talk."

Sighing, I knew that I had to call her back if I wanted to avoid a large scale fight. I unsuccessfully hoped she wouldn't pick up the phone while it was ringing, but she answered at the last moment.

"You ready to really talk?" She asked, not even bothering with greetings.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Sorry for being a whiny jerk all week."

She laughed. "Finally you're admitting it."

I had to smile. "You do know that you suck, right?"

"I'm proud of my suckiness," she proclaimed. "But as fun as this is, do you have something you want to talk about? Because if not…"

"Yes," I sighed, cutting off her dramatic whine. "I guess…what I really want to know is your honest opinion on whether a relationship, or friendship even, would work out between me and Chad."

I could almost hear her smile through the phone. "Hell yes!"

April 28

10:32 AM

Yoga Studio

Another week had passed since the tripping incident, and I found myself back at the dreaded trust lessons. I resisted the urge to adjust my new yoga pants—a gift from Tawni—for I knew that would only provoke the gift giver.

Unwisely, I had decided to enlighten Tawni with my Chad predicament when Lucy didn't pick up the phone one night. Tawni squealed as soon as she heard that I was possibly interested in Chad, and declared that she was going to do everything in her power to make me as "irresistible as possible." She proceeded to buy me yoga pants, new makeup, and tight tanks tops galore. I only managed to stop her when she tried to dye my hair blonde.

Arriving at my apartment early this morning, she made me dress in one of the new outfits she had bought me. I only humored her because I feared what she might decide to do if I rebuffed her.

When we arrived at class, she made me promise to try some of the flirting techniques from the book she had bought me. "Tawni!" I whisper-yelled. "First, I know how to flirt. Second, I don't even know if I like Chad like that!"

"Oh give it up, Sonny," she had laughed. "The fact that you have been obsessing over him and these trust lessons all week clearly mean that you are, in fact, attracted to him."

I had growled at her and went to go sit down in the back of the room, hoping she would not follow me. I had no such luck.

Greg started the class soon after, which was where I currently found myself. He was saying something about today's lesson, which had to do with placing trust in the people around you through nonverbal communication. I could already tell today's class would be a real winner.

"So for today's first exercise, I need every to stand at the ends of the room across from their partners," Greg directed us, and once we had reach our destination, he proceeded to lecture us on the importance of utter silence.

Finally, he managed to start in on the actual activity. "Now, everyone needs to stare at their partner for the duration of this exercise. Every 5 minutes, each partner is to take 2 steps closer to the middle. For the next 30 minutes, you will be staring into each others eyes at varying distances. While this at first may make you uncomfortable, it will serve to increase trust within your relationship as you find you are able to let go of your discomfort and progress towards nonverbal communication. You will find that once you become comfortable with each other, nonverbal communication can become an important factor in your relationship."

I needed to stare at Chad for the next half an hour? Without talking? God, what had Mr. Condor gotten us into?

**10:45: T-minus 30 minutes. **I reluctantly looked across the room to find Chad's eyes. He was staring cockily at me, smirking and mouthing something I couldn't understand. I rolled my eyes and continued to stare at him. I couldn't understand how I could be attracted to such an animal. But then I remembered the prom, and our fake date, and his shiny hair…Damn it. I have got to snap out of my day dreaming before Chad notices something.

**10:52: T-minus 23 minutes. **Chad definitely noticed something. He had this quizzical look in his eyes when I returned from my daydreaming. I shook him off though, and we returned to blank staring just as Greg told us all to step up. I flicked my eyes to the clock, and happened to catch Tawni typing on her phone. Soon I felt a vibration in the waist of my pants ("Now Sonny, yoga pants have no pockets. But you have to keep your phone with you at all times. Period. So you just stick it between your pants and the skin!") and I skillfully removed the phone. I opened her message while still staring at Chad, and removed my eyes for only a moment to read the message: "**SONNY! It's your chance! Get your flirt on!" **Thanks for that, Tawni. Now not only am I blushing but Chad definitely knows something is up.

**10:57: T-minus 18 minutes. **Through my intense staring at Chad, I slowly realized something. If I tried really hard, I could almost tell what he was thinking. No, I do not have ESP or something ridiculous like that. But if I could decipher which type of look he was giving me, if his eyes were blank or active—at least I could sense what he was thinking. Take right before we moved up two steps again. He had this blank look in his eyes, and was not really making eye contact with me. His eyes were focused too downwards, like on my chin or something. I knew that he had to be daydreaming about something (I have no idea what about though). Then, as soon as Greg motioned for us to move up, he shook his head a little bit, as if he was shaking the idea out of his head. As soon as he realized I was giving him a quizzical look, he turned a slight shade a pink and glared at me, silently telling me to shut it.

**11:02: T-minus 13 minutes: **Oh shit! Oh shit! Dammit! If I could tell what Chad could tell what I was thinking, wouldn't it make sense that he could tell what I was thinking about too?

**11:05: T-minus 10 minutes. **I had finally managed to calm myself down from my revelation just when Greg told us to take two more steps in. That's when I realized that Chad was only a few yards away from me, and that after our final movement we would practically be touching. Start the hyperventilation again.

**11:08: T-minus 7 minutes. **It has not been as bad as I thought it would be. I almost started laughing (earning a disapproving glare from Greg) when Chad and I got into a staring contest. I won, of course. Then Chad started mimicking my movements, trying to get me back for beating him. I guess Greg was right, that once you get past the initial discomfort, "nonverbal communication" can actually be kind of helpful and fun. At least, that is what I think he said.

**11:11: T-minus 4 minutes. **At this point, Chad and I are only inches away from each other. I flicked my eyes to the clock and watched his follow suit, showing him that it was the magical time yet again. His eyes asked me if I really believed in that silly superstition, and I told him that of course I did. He rolled his eyes at me, but closed his eyes with me as we made our wish. When I opened my eyes again, I saw him smirking. _What is it, Chad? _I asked him. _I cannot believe you seriously make wishes every time the clock turns to 11:11. _Stupid Chad. Wish making at 11:11 is one of the most sacred acts. How dare he insult it.

**11:15: T-minus 0 minutes. **Finally, Greg stood up and told us that the exercise was over and we were free to go. Everyone around me started talking, having had trouble holding it in for the last 30 minutes.

"So, what did you wish for, Monroe?" Chad asked me as we walked out of the room.

"I can't tell you, Cooper, or else it won't come true," I lectured him. "You really should know this."

"It's not going to come true, period," he replied.

"Well not if you don't believe!" I countered.

"You seriously believe that the wish you made at 11:11 will come true?" He questioned with disbelief.

"Yeah, why shouldn't it?" I replied. "You don't believe in any magic at all, Chad? Not even miracles?"

He gave me a dubious look. "You show me a miracle and then I'll tell you if I believe in magic."

"Challenge accepted," I smiled.

"How about, in the meantime, you tell me your wish?" He asked again, flashing his white smile.

"No, Chad, I cannot and will not tell you!" I declared. Especially since it is about you.

* * *

Wow. How long has it been since I've updated? 4 months? I am so sorry, and please accept this as my apology (: i had a really sucky fall. I had whooping cough, got diagnosed with asthma, and my great aunt (who was like a grandmother to me) died. overall not the best time of my life.

But thanks to all the reviewers and everyone who still cares about this story, especcially bookdiva who made me realize i needed to update. like now.

So, while this may seem unlikely, i promise if you review i can get you an update before april :D so go press that button!


	5. Chapter 5

May 3

3:46 PM

Condor Studios Cafeteria

I was eating my delicious raspberry swirl fro-yo in the Cafeteria when it happened.

I knew I shouldn't have gone there alone.

There I was, sitting, enjoying my treat, reading the Wisconsin Times weekly magazine. I was highly disappointed to find out that my favorite cheese festival had been canceled this year, and my mood was indefinitely soured.

And then he walked up.

"Why so sad, Monroe?" Chad taunted. "Cows have gone on strike and there is no more Wisconsin cheese? Such a shame."

I gave him an unamused stare. "Not very funny Chad. I always knew there was a reason you were not on a comedy. And for your information-" I retorted, cutting Chad off at the end. "My favorite cheese festival was canceled. Because of rain. Not a cow strike."

"Oh, such a good explanation Sonny, I am so sorry," he replied sarcastically. "I always knew there had to be a reason you weren't on a cool show."

I stood up, close to his face, significantly annoyed know. "I always knew there was a reason people obsess over your show. They were too busy being cool."

"I always knew there was a reason Mackenzie Falls beat So Random!. At least we have people that care."

I compressed my eyes into a spiteful stare at him, then stepped back, letting go of my momentary anger. "Whatever, Chad. If you need Mackenzie Falls to be that much better, then let it be."

* * *

April 28

3:52 PM

Condor Studios Hallway

The sound from my high heels echoed off the walls as I walked back towards my dressing room, head shaking in quiet disbelief. I thought Chad was changing, become less of a complete ass wipe. I guess I was just wrong.

More footsteps were echoing off the wall, the added pair of flat shoes running towards me, but I didn't stop to find out who it was.

"Sonny," Chad yelled from behind, out of breath. "Wait. Please."

I stopped, but didn't turn around. He could come find me.

"Look, I am sorry, I didn't mean any of the things I said. Sometimes I get carried away and..." He trailed off, sheepishly looking at the ground.

I wanted to be firm, be resolute, not accept his apology. But his shrugged shoulders, the begging eyes...I think he really meant his apology. "Fine, Chad," I sighed.

A smile lit up his face, and for a moment I thought he was going to hug me, but he appeared to quickly change his mind. "What I really had wanted to tell you in the cafeteria was that I was sorry for acting like a jerk at the first two trust lessons, because I kind of like them now. You're a good partner."

This decidedly un-Chad like behavior shocked me. "Thanks, Cooper.." I trailed off, judging his face. Satisfied with what I say, I added, "You're a good partner too."

For a moment, we both stood there, smiling awkwardly, like the awkward teenagers we knew we were but tried to hide.

"Uhm, I have to go, but I'll see you later," Chad suddenly said, walking away with one slight wave that set my heart beating much quicker than it should.

* * *

May 5

10:45 AM

Yoga Studio

I found Chad sitting in the back corner at the next trust lesson. I smiled my usual, wide grin at him; in return, I received his trademark small, cute smile.

"Have you found me my miracle yet?" Chad asked, whispering quietly in my ear so that the others would'nt hear. Tawni happened to walk in at this moment, and I could hear her excited squeal from across the room. I mouthed shut up, but Chad heard me quietly whisper it aloud as well.

"Nothing," I said quickly, silencing his confused questions. "But I did happen to find a miracle."

"Oh really?" He smirked, highly skeptical.

"Mhm," I replied. "But if you don't believe me, I don't have to share it."

"Oh, do tell," he prodded.

"Yesterday. You actually apologized for something. And gave someone else a compliment. It was a miracle," I laughed at his slightly amused response.

"Funny," he finally answered. "I'm still waiting for my real miracle, though."

"High standards, eh?" I chuckled. "Fine, then. I'll find you a real life miracle."

After that, we sat in another one of our awkward, happy silences for a few moments until Greg walked in the door.

"Ok, today's lesson is very important. After this, you should have a deep lake of trust between your partner and yourself." He stopped momentarily until the skeptical snorts died down. "All the pairs, spread out. You can use the next room too, but make sure no one is near your partner and yourself."

Many of the pairs got up and left the room, including Tawni and her partner (much to my my relief). However, Chad and I stayed in the corner, impatiently waiting to find out exactly how we were going to make this "deep lake of trust between us."

"Okay, I want everyone else in the room to sit so close to your partner that you are touching. This is very important, because touch can convey more emotions than words can."

Oh god. I didn't shave today. What if Chad thinks my legs are hairy and he never looks at me again? I quickly looked down towards my legs, visualizing long hairs that weren't there. In the process, I saw Chad was wearing his long, khaki pants, just like every other day. I breathed a sigh of relief, and moved closer to Chad.

We were so close I could feel his breath on my ear when he turned to look at Greg, and the entire left (well, his right I suppose) sides of our bodies were touching. I stopped breathing for a minute, anxious that we were sitting this close. At the same time, though, I kind of liked it.

"Now, your assignment for today is to share 5 secrets about yourself with your partner. No one else in the world should know these things about you, except maybe parents or your best friend. When you tell someone something of that magnitude, you are putting an enormous amount of trust in them, because you are stepping out of your comfort zone and revealing some of your true self. Listeners can then validate that trust by responding positively, whether it be a hug or a nod or words of encouragement and support," Greg explained, and I realized I did not want to spill my soul to Chad. I didn't want to spill it to anyone, for that matter. I hoped Chad felt the same way, and we could share fun, interesting secrets, like my I'm a potterhead secret.

We sat in awkward silence, our thighs and shoulders touching, each listening to each other's shallow breaths.

"I'm a closet solitaire addict," I blurted out, eager to end this period of uneasy quiet.

Chad turned his head to face mine, his eyebrows crinkled in his little smile. "You are a...solitaire addict?"

"Yeah, I know its lame," I started quickly, a slight smile playing on my lips not because of solitaire, but because of him. "And I'm in the closet, you know, because everyone back home would totally make fun of me for it. I would never live it down."

"Sonny.." he started slowly. "You live in Wisconsin."

"Yeah I know..." I trailed off, not sure how else I could possibly defend my decidedly uncool first secret. "But it is a whole lot better than finishing that book report!" I finally added, eliciting a tiny chuckle from Chad.

His face return to a solemn stare after a few moments. His eyes suddenly became heavy, filled with the intense knowledge of someone double his age.

"I..." he started, before stopping himself. He took another deep breath, and I slowly realized that his secret was considerably more severe than a slight solitaire addiction.

"I cut myself."

I gasp slightly, my eyes unconsciously wide with shock and sympathy. I try to form words, but none come. How do you even possibly respond when someone tells you they deliberately hurt themselves?

He seemed to understand my shock, and he lifted up his left arm, rolling back his shirt sleeve only ever so slightly. Two slightly pink, faded lines ran along his wrist, and one recently scabbed line still shone bright red.

His eyes were shallow, holding back an ocean of emotions that were threatening to spill out. At that moment, the only thing in my mind was making those eyes, those bright blue eyes, stop hurting.

Reaching over his body, I took his wrist and held it in my lap, slightly stroking the scars. "Do they still hurt?" I asked hesitantly.

"Not anymore. They did," he admitted, avoiding my gaze.

"I'm sorry," was all I could offer that. "I'm sorry that something so bad would ever have to happen to you-to anybody-that they would have to hurt themselves."

He smiled slightly, and I realized that the thought had occurred to him before, albeit in other forms. "Thanks," he murmured, "but I believe it is now your turn."

Suddenly, I realized I had to think of something good. Something real. Not I have a closet addiction to gummy bears, which is what I had intended on sharing when I heard today's lesson. But Chad had made it serious, made it real. Even though I did not want to share my problems, I knew that I had to. I knew that it would be okay to.

"My father," I said, breathing deeply. "My father left my mother and I when I was 7 months old. I haven't seen him since."

"Really?" He asked. "That's...unimaginable."

"I know." A lone tear fell down my cheek. I spoken about my father in over 3 years, though I still thought of him from time to time. I used to obsess over him, hate him, wish he were dead. I realized that there was no good in that, though, and that if he didn't care about me, I wouldn't care about him. "My mom met another really great guy a few years ago, though. They are getting married later this year."

He smiled. "I'm glad that worked out."

"Me too," I returned with a toothy smile. "Secret number two?"

"My biological mom, she got pregnant when she was only 15. So she gave me up to my real parents," he sighed, not as accepting with his fact as I was with mine.

"I'm sorry your mom had to do that," I started. "But giving you up was probably the hardest thing she ever had to do. She only did it because she loved you, and knew you deserved more than a teen mom."

"That's what they always tell me," he faded off. "I just wished she coulda tried though, you know?"

I nodded in agreement. "And the worst part," he started again, clearly angry now. "They never told me, my real parents. One day when I was 13 I went to the computer and my mom's email was up. Turns out it was an open adoption, so my mom still talked to her and sent her all my pictures and everything. I saw the newest email from her. I found out through a computer!" He was whispering with rage at this point.

All I could do was look at him sympathetically, and continue holding his hand. My life already paled in comparison to all the troubles he faced.

"I looked her up on the internet. I've stared at her picture hundreds of time. She's 32 now, with a husband and two little girls. Picture perfect family. Without me."

"Do you want to meet her?" I asked meekly.

"What?"

"Meet her...talk to her? Get to know her?"

He stared at the ground ahead of us for a few moments before answering. "I don't know. All this trouble started when I found out I was adopted. I guess everyone deals with it differently, but...I just don't want to feel like I wasn't worth it, I wasn't good enough."

"You're good enough, Chad. But you need to let go of all this anger and frustration before you can accept it and start feeling any better," I suggested. "I went through the same exact thing once I was old enough to fully understand my dad's actions."

"We're pretty messed up, aren't we?" He chuckled. "I bet the other groups are still talking about secret solitaire addictions or hair product obsessions."

"Yeah, but they aren't gonna have the 'lake of trust' between them," I laughed.

"You aren't gonna tell anyone, right?" Chad asked, suddenly serious.

"Don't you trust me?" I smiled.

"Actually, I do. So nevermind then," he smiled back.

We had somehow moved ourselves from sitting straight against the wall to both of us leaning in towards each other, and I was still holding his left hand. I could feel his soft breath on my nose, and it was only then I realized how very close we were. Suddenly, butterflies appeared in my stomach, and I could feel my cheeks burn hotter. His baby blue eyes were staring right into mine as if some magnetic force was keeping them in place. Unconsciously, my head started inching ever so closer to his, and he followed suit. Was this the moment I had been waiting of, when stopped being the enemy and started being the prince? I felt like I had missed his transformation; here was a sweet, caring, attractive guy in front of me. That wasn't supposed to be Chad.

And then I remembered where we were. Sitting in a barren studio, with other pairs of people sitting all around us. With our instructor watching us. I quickly sat up straight, back straight against the wall. "Well, uhm.." Suddenly ever moment felt like an hour, the tension between us only building. "We should continue on with the secrets."

* * *

**Hi guys..its been like, 8 months since i last updated? I'm really sorry! I was just getting bored with writing and fanfiction in general and had no inspiration, and I kinda thought I was never gonna come back. But I'm procrasinating on my AP World notes and I really need to practice my creative writing so i decided i would add another chapter. Obviously, the story totally doesn't fit with SWAC anymore but watev. If anyone is still reading this story, please tell me what you think! Especially about my writing, because that's really what I want to work on here. So read, enjoy, review...I don't know if I will update again but I do know what I want to happen over the next few chapters so if I have time I'll try to come back and finish it!**

_**katie(:**_


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